Ole Quammen

Ole Quammen. . Ole S. Quammen, the mastermind behind the Petrified Wood Park, was born in 1871, his family immigrated to America in 1872 and homesteaded in MN. When Quammen was 23 he became a Watkins Medical Co. distributor which eventually led him to Voltaire, ND where he homesteaded himself in 1900. Seven years later he entered the lumber industry which eventually landed him in Lemmon, SD when it was still a tent town. His lumber businesses boomed in the area and in 1919 he and his business partner, Carl Austad, began the highly successful venture of Independent Oil. , Quammen possessed an exceptional interest in the curious geologic formations found in the western Dakotas and had an extensive rock collection of his own. Quammen conceived the idea to construct a park showcasing these strange and beautiful fossils in a one-of-a-kind way to attract geologists, nature lovers, and curio seekers from around the world. , Construction of the Petrified Wood Park started in 1930 at the height of the Great Depression, providing jobs and financial support to over 30 men who would have otherwise been unemployed. These men earned $1.00/day which would be equivalent to about $17.75 today. A majority of the park was completed and dedicated in the summer of 1932. The dedication ceremony was attended by 10,000 people from all over the state. , Ole Quammen carried on following the dedication, working on the park, and adding to his overall vision for the space when he died suddenly and unexpectedly in 1934. The parks future was questioned at many points but in 1954, Quammen's daughter, Alice Olson, turned over the property to the City of Lemmon. , Considerable labor, and considerable donations, have been invested over the years to maintain and improve the park and its features.